A Love Story
Then God said, “Look! I have given you every seed-bearing plant throughout the earth and all the fruit trees for your food. And I have given every green plant as food for all the wild animals, the birds in the sky, and the small animals that scurry along the ground—everything that has life.” And that is what happened.
Then God looked over all he had made, and he saw that it was very good!
And evening passed and morning came, marking the sixth day. Genesis 1:29-31
On a bright early summer day, a manager of a fast-food restaurant goes up front to meet with one of his new employees. He jokes a little to ease her tension, and she giggles to let him know her approval of his comical approach. “She seems very nice,” he thought to himself. Meanwhile in her mind, she is saying, “He’s a bit stuck up!” A few months later, she is later promoted to being a manager, and a month or so later, the two of them go out together at the company Christmas party. So, their adventure begins. That is often how a love story starts. In this case, it is my wife and mine over thirty-nine years ago. More on that in another devotion.
All love stories have a beginning. As we talk about our faith, we focus on several things. We often focus on how we are not worthy of God’s love and sacrifice. We will give our testimony to show how God loves us and as such loves the world. But just as I remember the day my wife and I met, we know when we found God. Yet, God has had His eye on us even before we were born. In the beginning of Jeremiah, God said to him, ““Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.” (Jeremiah 1:5) This is not a far stretch considering He is all-knowing. But how long? How long has He been loving us? Since the beginning of time.
To truly understand how much God loves us, we must realize it started from the very beginning. I knew my love for Loretta was real at the Christmas party. However, what made us close was nurtured well before then as we learned about each other. How we grew up and what values our parents instilled in us were the precursor of when we would come together. It all made sense. Along those lines, we can profess our love for God, and it is true beyond any doubt. However, the wonderful thing about the Bible is we get to learn about Him from the stories told by every person in it. Whether it is Abraham, Moses, Samuel, David, and others, each of them gave a vivid picture of who He is and how much He loves us. It all started at our creation. Look at all that God gave us! He gave life to not only us but also all that surrounds us. Whether it is a rose or Rosalie, you are looking at God’s splendor and an example of the love He has had for us since the very beginning.
Understanding the foundation of our relationship with God is essential to the deepening of that relationship. The stories in the Bible teach us valuable lessons on how to revere in God’s provisions and protection, but more importantly, it is to help understand who God is and why He loves us so. Do not lose sight of that particularly at this time of year. Make sure to take a moment reflecting on how much God loves you. What Biblical story have you seen yourself in? How can it reveal God’s attributes to you? My prayer is we take time out to look at God’s word understanding that it is in essence a love story. Amen.